4.22 'who' and 'whom'

The pronoun 'who' is used to ask questions about a person's identity. 'Who' can be the subject or object of a verb.

• Who discovered this?
• Who were her friends?
• Who are you expecting?
• Who did he marry?

In more formal English, 'whom' is sometimes used instead of 'who' as the object of a verb.

• Whom shall we call?
• Whom did you see?

'Who' and 'whom' can also be the object of a preposition. When 'who' is the object of a preposition, the preposition is put at the end of the clause.

• Who did you dance with?
• Who do I pay this to?

When 'whom' is the object of a preposition, the preposition is put at the beginning of the clause, in front of 'whom'.

• For whom were they supposed to do it?
• To whom is a broadcaster responsible?